RE: [Kierkegaardian] The esthetic

Jeff, Let me take a whack at the question you ask, Why is the aesthetic necessarily unethical? The answer to this question is complex and is not easily

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, Sep 28, 2005

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Jeff,
Let me take a whack at the question you ask, "Why is the aesthetic
necessarily unethical?" The answer to this question is complex and is not
easily answered or understood. But it is a good question.

I don't think SK ever says that aesthetics is to be left behind. Some of the
people on this forum seem to think that is the case but SK doesn't say that.
What he says about the aesthetic has to do with relative and absolute ends.
The aesthetic person encountered in the first half of Either-Or makes
aesthetic pursuits absolute ends. That is, there are no ends or goals that
are higher for these people, goals or ends that the aesthetic point to as in
your example. They simply pursue pleasure or learning as the goal of their
lives. The illustration that you give is of aesthetics that points beyond
itself to something higher so it is not aesthetics as SK describes it. SK's
point is that the aesthete is operating at a low level of life and that
there is more to be developed, namely the ethical and the spiritual.

I hope this helps and welcome to the group. If you have more questions or
ideas please join in. You don't need to apologize about quality of your
questions. They are needed here.